Description
Book SynopsisA team of leading philosophers presents original work on theories of parthood and of location. Topics covered include how we ought to axiomatise our mereology, whether we can reduce mereological relations to identity or to locative relations, whether Mereological Essentialism is true, different ways in which entities persist through space, time, spacetime, and even hypertime, conflicting intuitions we have about space, and what mereology and propositions can tell us about one another. The breadth and accessibility of the papers make this volume an excellent introduction for those not yet working on these topics. Further, the papers contain important contributions to these central areas of metaphysics, and thus are essential reading for anyone working in the field.
Trade ReviewUltimately, Mereology & Location offers detailed discussions of a wide range of topics which have been approached with an eye on connections to locative or mereological concerns. The bibliography at the end provides a good guide to the literature for further study across the topics covered. One underlying theme which arises in many of the contributions is persistence ... As such, those engaged in the debate over persistence may be especially likely to find many of the discussions in this volume valuable. The book is well edited and without exception the articles are clear, lively, and elegantly written--these features make the book all the more engaging. * Paul R. Daniels, The Philosophical Quarterly *
This book is awesome in the same way that a new compendium to the Star Wars expanded universe would be to a super-fan: it feels like Christmas in hardback This volume is loaded with interesting papers of the highest quality. Virtually all of them directly engage with the question of the interaction between mereology and the spatial, temporal, and modal dimensionsThe number of original approaches, each worked out with careful (sometimes technical) precision, is striking. Formally inclined metaphysicians will love the book -- a "can't miss" for specialists. Even non-specialists will find something to like -- you'll just have to locate the right part * A. J. Cotnoir, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews Online *
Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION ; MEREOLOGY ; 1. THE MANY PRIMITIVES OF MEREOLOGY ; 2. PARTHOOD IS IDENTITY ; 3. MEREOLOGY AND MODALITY ; MEREOLOGY AND LOCATION ; 4. WHERE IT'S AT: MODES OF OCCUPATION AND KINDS OF OCCUPANT ; 5. A SPATIAL APPROACH TO MEREOLOGY ; 6. BALLS AND ALL ; 7. CONFLICTING INTUITIONS ABOUT SPACE ; INTERACTION WITH OTHER TOPICS ; 8. TRANSHYPERTIME IDENTITY ; 9. PARTS OF PROPOSITIONS ; 10. MEREOLOGICAL SUMS AND SINGULAR TERMS ; Notes on the Contributors ; Bibliography ; Index
